THE much complicated Rohingya repatriation process is set to begin on Thursday, around 10 months after the first attempt failed as the refugees refused to go back without assurance of their nationality and other social securities. A list of 3,450 Rohingyas, who have been cleared by the Myanmar government for return, was shared with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Bangladesh earlier this month so that the agency could check whether the Rohingyas will return voluntarily.
Return to Myanmar should be voluntary, which is one of UNHCR’s most fundamental protection responsibilities. Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) said Bangladesh was prepared to start the repatriation anytime. The government is working to start the repatriation on August 22. As per rules, the names of those who volunteered to return will have to be handed over to the Myanmar authorities. Besides, the returnees will go through medical check-ups and will be taken to transit camps near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
Many refugees said they were happy to know that Myanmar cleared the names of 3,450 Rohingyas. However, they still have doubts about their safety in the violence-torn Rakhine State. The persecuted people said that they only want citizenship and security in Myanmar; giving back their land and properties and protection of all fundamental rights as the Rohingya community in Rakhine State. The first attempt of Rohingya repatriation was made on November 15 last year, a year after Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a bilateral repatriation deal following the influx of nearly 750,000 Rohingyas since August 25, 2017. The repatriation could not begin as the Rohingyas did not want to go back then, saying there was no guarantee of citizenship and safety in Rakhine.
The recent diplomatic initiatives for strengthening relations with China, Japan and India by the government should be channelled towards a smart and sustainable repatriation process as the crises could be turned to be multifarious with the lingering of time. What’s true is that, Bangladesh is unable to bear the burden on over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees for an uncertain period.
